From Beyond The Rainbow Somewhere

Day: 08/28/2013

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The South China Morning Post is now reporting that adults in China are paying good money to breastfeed on wet nurses who are well paid for providing their milk. The wet nurses are paid around US$2,700 per month, and clients are offered the ability to consume the beverage directly. As inmammary consumption.

(Pause to let this sink in for a minute…)

A lot of people think this is ultra-creepy. And that was my first reaction, too. After all, the image of a 35-year-old adult man or woman feeding on the breasts of another woman somehow doesn’t seem normal. Then again, in a culture where pop music celebrities parade around in slutty porn gear, nearly having sex on stage at music awards ceremonies as audiences applaud, I’m not sure anybody remembers what “normal” looks like anymore. Somehow, a 35-year-old business man feeding on the breasts of a well-paid wet nurse seems a lot less bizarre than the stage antics of Miley Cyrus, pop culture’s newest deviant whose disturbing public perversions have set a new low for vulgarity.

It turns out, though, that there’s more to this breastfeeding story than the mere shock factor. Some of these people who hire the wet nurses arechronically diseasedand can’t find sufficient nourishment in all the processed, contaminated foods that now characterize China. The Chinese people arestarving for real nutritionand living in a country of unequalled chemical contamination. When real food is hard to come by, it just so happens that human breastmilkis Mother Nature‘s smoothie. No one can deny that breast milk contains a miraculous assortment of immune-boosting, health-enhancing substances, many of which modern science can’t even begin to understand but which every mom innately knows sustains and nourishes life.

When considered from this perspective — in light of a malnourishment victim seeking the world’s best source for human nutrition — it suddenly seems acceptable… possibly even therapeutic.

It all depends on the intention of the person hiring the wet nurse, of course. If it’s done for entertainment and novelty purposes, it’s weird. If it’s done as a desperate measure for lifesaving nutrition, it’s commendable.

Most people, however, can’t get past the shocking imagery of it.Dr. Tim Stanley ofThe Telegraph, for example, seems appalled at the idea that adult humans might drink human breast milk. “It’s revolting,” he says. “It’s every bit as wrong as prostitution.”

Yet I’m willing to bet Dr. Stanley drinksbovinebreast milk(i.e. “milk”), a beverage that’s far more bizarre because it’s cross-species and nutritionally inferior to human breast milk. If you’re going to drink Mother Nature’s infant formula, it makes far more scientific sense to drink it from your own species and not get it from some hooved, furry creature that weighs four times as much as a human.

The only reason the consumption of human breast milk seems so bizarre to people like Dr. Stanley is because we’ve all gotten used to the far more revolting idea of sucking at the teat of an 800-pound cow. Of course, the dairy industry takes that milk andhomogenizes itandpasteurizes it, turning the healthy beverage of raw cow’s milk into a monstrosity of autoimmune disease, digestive disorders, acne and constipation. Pasteurization, it turns out, destroys the fragile lactase enzymes that allow humans to digest lactose. This is why so many people are wildly allergic to pasteurized cow’s milk.

Let’s get real about this: The USA is the home of “capitalism without morality!” How else do you get a fast food industry that serves toxic, chemically-altered, nutritionally-depleted foods that cause widespread chronic disease? How else do you get a soda industry whose products cause diabetes and whose refined sweeteners laced with mercury?

If there’s an encyclopedia entry for “capitalism without morality,” it should feature the pictures of all the Goldman Sachs insiders who always seem to end up running the Fed, or the Treasury, or other investment firms. Wall Street is the epitome of capitalism without morality.

By comparison, a woman who accepts honest money to deliver an honest product — human breast milk — is sitting atop a mountain of morality compared to a typical Wall Street bankster who loses other people’s money for profit. What on Earth is immoral about selling Mother Nature’s nutrition to people who need it? Isn’t that actually a pure form of honest capitalism?

Breast milk can be toxic if the mom is exposed to heavy metals

You have to give Dr. Stanley some leeway on this issue, however. He’s an historian, not a nutritionist. He may not have considered this topic from the angle I’ve covered here, and I hope he reconsiders his view after seeing this article.

I agree with his view, however, if thisbreastfeedingis purchased as some weird, twisted form of entertainment. But my understanding is that these arrangements are being pursued by people who are simply seeking nutrition, not entertainment. They sure aren’t going to get that nutrition from Ensure or other canned dead protein vitamin drinks (made mostly from altered milk proteins, sugar and synthetic vitamins). Getting real nutrition directly from the source makes a lot more sense.

Of course, human breast milk is often heavily contaminated with heavy metals, PCBs, pesticides, BPA and a cocktail of other toxic substances due to the environmental exposure of the woman. So if the woman eats a poor diet herself, her breast milk is going to be more of a toxic brew than a nourishing smoothie.

Ideally, a truly capitalist system would recognize a higher value in women who follow cleaner diets and who allow their breast milk to be subjected to heavy metals tests. Those with the cleanest milk would command the highest premiums in a free market exchange with full transparency of the “product” quality. It’s much like paying a premium for certified organic strawberries versus conventional, pesticide-ridden strawberries.

In fact, I believe there should be a free market for human breast milk as long as it’s regulated for basic safety and honesty. But in the United States where nutrition is practically considered criminal, the FDA has outlawed the selling of human breast milk, even to those who really, really need it. That’s the real crime in all this — thedenialof access to human nutrition… even for babies who are fed government-subsidized junk infant formula made with corn syrup and soy protein (both of which are GMO).

This is also the core reason behind the FDA’sarmed raids on raw milk producersin California and elsewhere. Raw milk farmers have been subjected to armed raids, prison torture, outrageous prosecutions by insane district attorneys, and much more. It seems that people who provide unadulterated, nutritious food to customers are increasingly seen as criminals by the police state government. It is no coincidence that nearly all the government’s health policies promote ongoing chronic disease, pharmaceutical dependence and a lifetime of servitude to a system of “sick care” that doesn’t want people to have access to real nutrition.

I encourage more discussion on this issue

Ultimately, everyone who calls themselves “pro choice” must, by definition, support a woman’s right to voluntarily choose to sell her own breast milk in a free market exchange. It’s her choice, after all, right? And isn’t her milk her property to do with as she pleases?

Coincidentally, that’s also the libertarian angle in all this: since when did the state have any right to tell you what you can and can’t do with your own body fluids? Is not every man or woman free to sell his or her own regenerative body fluids, or hair, or even their own blood to someone else who values it? Don’t blood banks offer money for people who choose to sell their blood for payment? Don’t some women sell their hair to wig companies who make “real hair” wigs for chemotherapy victims?

After all, some women sell their voices as music stars. Other sell their bodies as models. Some sell their brains in exchange for a corporate salary. Why can’t moms who are particularly gifted with breast milk sell that milk to someone who needs it and values it? This sacred right to own and control your own body is fundamental to a free society. If you don’t believe you own your own body (and all its fluids), then you by definition believe in statist slavery.

Dr. Stanley probably agrees with the principle of what I’m explaining here, by the way. And I don’t have any beef with Dr. Tim Stanley. He’s actually a really bright and entertaining writer, and this topic of business men breastfeeding onwet nursesprobably caught him off guard. I actually like Dr. Stanley’s writing style, and I laugh out loud at some of his hilarious headlines such as, “North Korea is running out of virgins for Kim Jong-un’s dance troupe. It’s every dictator’s nightmare.” As far as I’m concerned, we need more journalists with the flair of Dr. Stanley, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum.

I just hope he’ll rethink his position on human breast milk, even for sickadultswho are desperately seeking nutritional support. It’s not as weird as it first seems once you consider the science…

For the record, if any of this milk is being taken by adultsat the expense of infants and babies, I would be completely against it. In my view, infants and babies should get this nutrition first. Only if there’s excess should adults be next in line.

Complex human brain tissue has been successfully developed in a three-dimensional culture system established in an Austrian laboratory. The method described in the current issue ofNatureallows pluripotent stem cells to develop into cerebral organoids – or “mini brains” – that consist of several discrete brain regions. Instead of using so-called patterning growth factors to achieve this, scientists at the renowned Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) fine-tuned growth conditions and provided a conducive environment. As a result, intrinsic cues from the stem cells guided the development towards different interdependent brain tissues. Using the “mini brains”, the scientists were also able to model the development of a human neuronal disorder and identify its origin – opening up routes to long hoped-for model systems of the human brain.

The development of thehuman brainremains one of the greatest mysteries in biology. Derived from a simple tissue, it develops into the most complex natural structure known to man. Studies of the human brain’s development and associated human disorders are extremely difficult, as no scientist has thus far successfully established a three-dimensional culture model of the developing brain as a whole. Now, a research group lead by Dr. Jürgen Knoblich at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA) has changed just that.

Brain size matters

Starting with establishedhuman embryonic stem celllines and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, the group identified growth conditions that aided the differentiation of the stem cells into several brain tissues. While using media for neuronal induction and differentiation, the group was able to avoid the use of patterning growth factor conditions, which are usually applied in order to generate specific cell identities from stem cells. Dr. Knoblich explains the new method: “We modified an established approach to generate so-called neuroectoderm, a cell layer from which the nervous system derives. Fragments of this tissue were then maintained in a 3D-culture and embedded in droplets of a specific gel that provided a scaffold for complex tissue growth. In order to enhance nutrient absorption, we later transferred the gel droplets to a spinning bioreactor. Within three to four weeks defined brain regions were formed.”

Already after 15 – 20 days, so-called “cerebral organoids” formed which consisted of continuous tissue (neuroepithelia) surrounding a fluid-filled cavity that was reminiscent of a cerebral ventricle. After 20 – 30 days, definedbrain regions, including a cerebral cortex, retina, meninges as well as choroid plexus, developed. After two months, the mini brains reached a maximum size, but they could survive indefinitely (currently up to 10 months) in the spinning bioreactor. Further growth, however, was not achieved, most likely due to the lack of a circulation system and hence a lack of nutrients and oxygen at the core of the mini brains.

Microcephaly in mini brains

The new method also offers great potential for establishing model systems for human brain disorders. Such models are urgently needed, as the commonly used animal models are of considerably lower complexity, and often do not adequately recapitulate the human disease. Knoblich’s group has now demonstrated that the mini brains offer great potential as a human model system by analysing the onset of microcephaly, a human genetic disorder in which brain size is significantly reduced. By generating iPS cells from skin tissue of a microcephaly patient, the scientists were able to grow mini brains affected by this disorder. As expected, the patient derived organoids grew to a lesser size. Further analysis led to a surprising finding: while the neuroepithilial tissue was smaller than in mini brains unaffected by the disorder, increased neuronal outgrowth could be observed. This lead to the hypothesis that, during brain development of patients with microcephaly, the neural differentiation happens prematurely at the expense of stem and progenitor cells which would otherwise contribute to a more pronounced growth inbrain size. Further experiments also revealed that a change in the direction in which thestem cellsdivide might be causal for the disorder.

“In addition to the potential for new insights into the development of human brain disorders, mini brains will also be of great interest to the pharmaceutical and chemical industry,” explains Dr. Madeline A. Lancaster, team member and first author of the publication. “They allow for the testing of therapies against brain defects and other neuronal disorders. Furthermore, they will enable the analysis of the effects that specific chemicals have onbraindevelopment.”

Medical researchers have manipulated human stem cells into producing types of brain cells known to play important roles in neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, schizophrenia and autism. The new model cell system allows neuroscientists to investigate normal brain development, as well as to identify specific disruptions in biological signals that may contribute to neuropsychiatric diseases.

“Interneurons act like an orchestra conductor, directing other excitatory brain cells to fire in synchrony,” said study co-leader Stewart A. Anderson, M.D., a research psychiatrist at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “However, when interneurons malfunction, the synchrony is disrupted, and seizures or mental disorders can result.”

Anderson and study co-leader Lorenz Studer, M.D., of the Center forStem Cell Biologyat Sloan-Kettering, derived interneurons in a laboratory model that simulates how neurons normally develop in the human forebrain.

“Unlike, say,liver diseases, in which researchers can biopsy a section of a patient’s liver, neuroscientists cannot biopsy a living patient’s brain tissue,” said Anderson. Hence it is important to produce a cell culture model of brain tissue for studying neurological diseases. Significantly, the human-derived cells in the current study also “wire up” in circuits with other types of brain cells taken from mice, when cultured together. Those interactions, Anderson added, allowed the study team to observe cell-to-cell signaling that occurs during forebrain development.

In ongoing studies, Anderson explained, he and colleagues are using their cell model to better define molecular events that occur during brain development. By selectively manipulating genes in the interneurons, the researchers seek to better understand how gene abnormalities may disrupt brain circuitry and give rise to particular diseases. Ultimately, those studies could help inform drug development by identifying molecules that could offer therapeutic targets for more effective treatments ofneuropsychiatric diseases.

In addition, Anderson’s laboratory is studying interneurons derived from stem cells made from skin samples of patients with chromosome 22q.11.2 deletion syndrome, a genetic disease which has long been studied at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In this multisystem disorder, about one third of patients have autistic spectrum disorders, and a partially overlapping third of patients develop schizophrenia. Investigating the roles of genes and signaling pathways in their model cells may reveal specific genes that are crucial in those patients with this syndrome who have neurodevelopmental problems.

“The more connections you and your lover make, not just between your bodies, but between your minds, your hearts, and your souls, the more you will strengthen the fabric of your relationship, and the more real moments you will experience together.”Barbara De Angelis

What is the secret to healthy and long lasting relationships? What is love? Does it really exists? Can it last forever? If so, why do so many relationships fail? Why are there so many unhappy and needy people that go from one “failed” relationship to another? Is there a shortage of love in the world? How many couples do you know who are still in lovewhen their hair turns gray?

Healthy couples who manage to keep their love flourishing have some lessons to teach us.

1. SEEK TO GIVE MORE THAN YOU SEEK TO GET

When they enter into a relationship, they do so because they want to share the best of themselves with the other person, and their main focus is to make the other person happy.

“Some of the biggest challenges in relationships come from the fact that most people enter a relationship in order to get something. They’re trying to find someone who’s going to make them feel good. In reality, the only way a relationship will last is if you see your relationship as a place that you go to give, and not a place that you go to take.” Anthony Robbins

2. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR PERSONAL HAPPINESS

These people are already happy – on their own. Because of that, their love will last until the end of days. They don’t look for “salvation” when entering a new relationship, but rather they look for ways to make the other person happy, understanding that “Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to their own. “ Robert Heinlein

3. AWARENESS

Awareness of the fact that there will be ups and downs, good days and bad days, and that in order for their relationship (LOVE) to last, they need to invest time and effort in it. You can’t take your hand off the steering wheel and expect to end up in paradise.

4. COMMITMENT

They are committed ’to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part.” If something is “broken,” they don’t throw it away (and sometimes it is the other person you want to “throw away”), they fix it.

Even though it may sound quite frightening, it’s not. You want to be in a relationship with someone who is aware of the fact that they are already whole and complete and they don’t need another human being in order for them to feel this way. Can you imagine all the pressure you put on your partner the moment you say that it’s their job to make you happy, that it’s their job to complete you?

“It is only when we no longer compulsively need someone that we can have a real relationship with them.” Anthony Storr

6. RESPECT AND ACCEPTANCE

Respect and acceptance of the differences that exist between them, without trying to constantly change the other person, allowing them to be as they are.

“When men and women are able to respect and accept their differences then love has a chance to blossom.” John Gray

7. COMMUNICATION AND TRUST

Trust in the other person and in what they can achieve together as a couple and a very healthy way of communicating with one another.

“The fundamental glue that holds any relationship together is trust.” Brian Tracy

8. APPRECIATION

Appreciation of the differences and similarities that exist between them, appreciation of the work each of them does and appreciation of who and what they are.

9. TEAMWORK

A lot of couples, after their honeymoon stage, start to act like they are enemies. A lot of people do that, but not happy couples. They understand that they are moving in the same direction, that they have the same goals and interests, that they are part of the same team – and because of that, their love flourishes from one day to the next.

“I’m here not because I am supposed to be here, or because I’m trapped here, but because I’d rather be with you than anywhere else in the world.” Richard Bach

10. SPACE

They understand the importance of having space in their relationship. They know that: “Space is a unifying field of awareness in which you meet the other person without the separative barriers created by conceptual thinking. And now the other person is no longer ‘other.’ In that space, you are joined together as one awareness, one consciousness.” Echkart Tolle

11. SELF LOVE, SELF IMPROVEMENT AND SELF GROWTH

The people who are in strong, healthy and long lasting relationships are aware of the fact that:“When you struggle with your partner, you are struggling with yourself. Every fault you see in them touches a denied weakness in yourself.” Deepak Chopra

They take time to work on their own person, they take time to better themselves because they know that by doing so, their relationship will also improve.

12. FOCUS ON THE GOOD TRAITS OF THE OTHER PERSON INSTEAD OF THE BAD TRAITS

Focus on the good traits of the other person and not on the negative ones. They don’t focus on what the other person is not or on what they think might be missing from their relationship. These people are mature enough to understand that,“Problems in relationship occur because each person is concentrating on what is missing in the other person.” Wayne Dyer

13. NON-INTERFERENCE

They allow the other person to be as he/ she wants to be, without trying to control them, without trying to tell them what to think, what to believe and what to feel.

After marking the dependably hateful haters with a scarlet H, the researchers presented participants with information about a new product: the “Monahan LPI-800 Compact 2/3-Cubic-Foot 700-Watt Microwave Oven.” This elaborately titled microwave oven does not exist (except in Jack Donaghy‘s mind), but participants didn’t know this and were given three glowing fake reviews and three dissatisfied fake reviews. While people who more or less liked taxidermy and crossword puzzles also liked the oven, the haters drenched their fake consumer surveys in haterade. They were also more likely to hate on recycling and vaccine shots. (To be fair, it’s hard to be a ray of sunshine when you’ve got the measles.)

Hepler and Albarracin write:

If individuals differ in the general tendency to like versus dislike objects, an intriguing possibility is that attitudes toward independent objects may actually be related. So someone’s attitude toward architecture may in fact tell us something about their attitude toward health care because both attitudes would be biased by a disposition to like or dislike stimuli.

In other words, although you may be as inoffensive as a Monahan LPI-800 Compact 2/3-Cubic-Foot 700-Watt Microwave Oven, some people will still think you’re the worst. I leave it to this prancing kitten to determine whether such knowledge is liberating or depressing—and to you commenters to continue providing backup for this study’s result every single day.

The Saudi Arabian food chain has been widely contaminated with GM ingredients, according to a new study. The findings include controversial StarLinkmaize banned for human consumption in the US over ten years ago.

The study published in the journal Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology found that genetically modified StarLink maize, allowed for domestic animal feed only in the US, has been contaminating Saudi Arabian products.

StarLink is a trade mark for a type of GM maize manufactured by Aventis Crop Science at the time when it was going through the American apparatus. Later it was bought by Bayer.

Back in 1998 the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the maize for domestic animal feed only, so the company manufacturing StarLink decided not to apply for separate approval for human and animal consumption.

Nevertheless, residues of StarLink maize were detected in taco shells in September 2000, indicating that it had entered the human food chain.

Following the findings all genetically modified food was recalled causing widespread disruption to the corn markets in 2000 and 2001.

Aventis then withdrew its registration for StarLink maize varieties in October 2000 and promised it would no longer be produced.

Despite these assurances, aid sent by the UN World Food Program and the US to a number of Central American nations was found to be highly contaminated with StarLink corn. 80% of the 50 samples tested came back positive for StarLink maize and Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador were all compelled to refuse the aid, according to the journal Green Med.

In 2005 Saudi Arabia approved the import of GM food, but banned the import and agricultural use of genetically modified animals, their byproducts and GM seeds, dates and decorative plants. The law also stipulated that any product containing GM material was required to be labeled in both Arabic and English.

In the 2013 study, 200 samples were collected from the Saudi Arabian provinces of Al-Qassim, Riyadh and Mahdina between 2009 and 2010 and were screened for GM ingredients. 26% of soybean samples were positive for GM gene sequences, while 44% of maize samples came out positive for GM gene sequences.

The overall findings pointed to a discovery of more than 1% contamination of maize samples with StarLink maize, as according to the detection sensitivity of the test kits used in the research the likelihood of a false positive reading is extremely low.

The authors of the report conclude that“establishing strong regulations and certified laboratories to monitor GM foods or crops in the Saudi Market is recommended.”

An earlier study published in the African Journal of Food Science in 2010 also found that the food chain in Saudi Arabia had been contaminated with GM ingredients.

The study analyzed 202 samples of mainly imported food, which was sampled from local markets in Ridyadh. Of the 202 samples 20 tested positive for GM ingredients.

The authors of the 2013 finding raise questions of why GM corn, banned in the US is resurfacing in a distant country like Saudi Arabia. They also question the level of contamination in the US, considering the fact the labeling and import of GM products is more stringent in Saudi Arabia than in the states.

“Mandatory labeling of GM-containing products and/or a total boycott of manufactures who are not already complying with this objective, or do not already have plans to do so in the immediate future,”the study concludes.

New technology invented by Irish scientists could lead to more productive crop yields, lower water and pesticide usage and make GMOs obsolete.

The technology, radio wave energized water, massively increases the output of vegetables and fruits by up to 30 percent. Plants that are watered using this technology are said to grow bigger and have increased resistance to disease.

Professor Austin Darragh and Dr. JJLeahy of Limerick Chemistry and Environmental Science developed this technology. The pair of scientists invented a device, called Vi-Aqua, which converts 24 volts of electricity into a radio signal, which charges the water via an antenna. Attached to a hose, this device can charge thousands of gallons of water in less than 10 minutes at the cost of mere pennies.

Explaining the technology, Darragh said, “Vi-Aqua makes water wetter and introduces atmospheric nitrogen into the water in the form of nitrates – so it is free fertiliser. It also produces the miracle of rejuvenating the soil by invigorating soil-based micro-organisms.”

He then went on to say, “We can also make water savings of at least 30 per cent. When the water is treated it becomes a better solvent, which means it can carry more nutrients to the leaves and stem and percolate better down into the soil to nourish the roots, which in turn produces a better root system. Hence the reason you need less water and why you end up with larger and hardier crops.”

The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, London, were so impressed by the technology that they granted Darragh and his team the right to use their official coat of arms on the device, the first time anyone has received such an honor.

Google Glass is finding its way into operation rooms: A surgeon in Ohio recently became one of the first to livestream an operation and use the technology to consult with a colleague.

On Aug. 21, Dr. Christopher Kaeding, director of sports medicine at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, wore Google Glass — awearable computerthat has a frame similar to traditional eyeglasses — as he performed surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee of a 47-year-old woman.

The procedure was livestreamed to a group of medical students, who watched on laptops, and to Dr. Robert Magnussen, an assistant professor of clinical orthopedics at Ohio State, who watched from his office.

During the operation, Kaeding consulted with Magnussen about what he was seeing during the surgery.

Kaeding said he did not find wearing the device to be a distraction.

“To be honest, once we got into the surgery, I often forgot the device was there. It just seemed very intuitive and fit seamlessly,” Kaeding said in a statement.

The device does not have lenses, but instead, has a small glass screen that sits above the right eye. Using voice commands,wearers of Google Glasscan pull up information on that screen like they would on a computer. The device also has a camera that can take photos and videos that show the viewpoint of the user. So far, a select group of about 1,000 people have had the opportunity to testGoogle Glass. One of Kaeding’s colleagues applied and was accepted as a tester, and the two partnered for the surgery.

One day, doctors may use the technology to view X-rays, MRI images or other medical information about their patient as they conduct surgeries, although this was not done in the current surgery.

“We just have to start using it. Like many technologies, it needs to be evaluated in different situations to find out where the greatest value is, and how it can impact the lives of our patients in a positive way,” said Dr. Clay Marsh, chief innovation officer at the medical center.

In June, a doctor in Maine used Google Glass to livestream a surgery on Google Hangout. The surgery was a gastrostomy, a relatively simple procedure that involves the placement of a feeding tube into a patient’s stomach.

Honey is indeed nature’s sweetener, but don’t write it off as just a condiment. The sticky sweet substance is far more than something to stir into your tea or spread on your toast.

Since ancient times, the healing properties of honey have been documented. Some of this knowledge seems to have been forgotten (and purposely marginalized), and drug companies have replaced honey with chemical ointments, antibiotics and antivirals. (This is, as always, about money – they can’t patent honey, can they?)

§Honey has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for more than 4000 years. Honey is an ingredient in 634 remedies in ancient Hindu vedic texts.

§The Ebers Papyrus of ancient Egypt expounded on the medicinal properties of honey, and it is contained in nearly every ancient Egyptian remedy.

Now, you can’t go and get the ubiquitous squeezy bear full of honey at the grocery store and expect it to cure all your ills. In fact, the some of the squeezy bears don’t even contain real honey at all. Our good friends at the FDA have defined honey as “anything containing pollen.

Even with that broad definition, some of the Chinese companies have “ultrafiltered” the honey that goes into those little bears to the point that there isn’t even any pollen left.

I bet you wonder why – I did.

Ultrafiltering removes the pollen so that the source of the honey cannot be determined. Providers of cheap honey do this so that consumers cannot discover the origin. Often the cheap honey is tainted with pesticides, illegal antibiotics, and heavy metals. Some of the cheap honey is watered down with High Fructose Corn Syrup. Much of the questionable honey originates in China.

According to independent testing ordered by Food Safety News and performed by Vaughan Bryant, a professor at Texas A&M University and one of the nation’s premier melissopalynologists, or investigators of pollen in honey.76% of the golden stuff sold in grocery stores as honey doesn’t contain even one little drop of pollen.

§76 percent of samples bought at groceries had all the pollen removed, These were stores like TOP Food, Safeway, Giant Eagle, QFC, Kroger, Metro Market, Harris Teeter, A&P, Stop & Shop and King Soopers.

§100 percent of the honey sampled from drugstores like Walgreens, Rite-Aid and CVS Pharmacy had no pollen.

§77 percent of the honey sampled from big box stores like Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart, Target and H-E-B had the pollen filtered out.

§•00 percent of the honey packaged in the small individual service portions from Smucker, McDonald’s and KFC had the pollen removed.

§Bryant found that every one of the samples Food Safety News bought at farmers markets, co-ops and “natural” stores like PCC and Trader Joe’s had the full, anticipated, amount of pollen.

The FDA, despite their definition, doesn’t seem to care about the false labeling of these products. The FDA has ignored requests from Congress, beekeepers and the honey industry to develop a U.S. standard for honey. Less than 5% of honey on store shelves has been tested by the FDA for purity.

How can you be sure you are actually buying honey?

As with most products, the closer you can get to the actual source, the better off you’ll be. Short of scooping the sticky stuff directly from the hives, purchase as locally as possible, directly from beekeepers or at your favorite farmer’s market.

There are more than 300 varieties of honey sold in the US. The difference in these varieties is the source of the pollen. Buckwheat honey is reputed to have the most healing properties of any type of honey. As a general rule of thumb, the darker the honey is, the more benefits it has.

Pasteurized vs. Raw

The FDA seems more concerned that honey be pasteurized (i.e.,heat processed) than that the honey actually be honey. The problem with pasteurization is that it kills off many of the beneficial components in the honey, most particularly propolis.

…The processing of honey often removes many of the phytonutrients found in raw honey as it exists in the hive. Raw honey, for example, contains small amounts of the same resins found in propolis. Propolis, sometimes called “bee glue,” is actually a complex mixture of resins and other substances that honeybees use to seal the hive and make it safe from bacteria and other micro-organisms. Honeybees make propolis by combining plant resins with their own secretions… Other phytonutrients found both in honey and propolis have been shown to possess cancer-preventing and anti-tumor properties. These substances include caffeic acid methyl caffeate, phenylethyl caffeate, and phenylethyl dimethylcaffeate. Researchers have discovered that these substances prevent colon cancer in animals by shutting down activity of two enzymes, phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and lipoxygenase. When raw honey is extensively processed and heated, the benefits of these phytonutrients are largely eliminated… (source)

Despite the important benefits of raw honey, there are some caveats.

§Infants under the age of 1 should not be fed raw honey because of the risk of botulism. Their underdeveloped immune systems cannot prevent the Clostridium botulinum pores from multiplying. Botulism can cause paralysis and death.

§People with bee venom allergies sometimes suffer an allergic reaction to honey. These allergic reactions can easily become life-threatening.

§There is a higher risk of food poisoning when you consume raw honey vs pasteurized honey.

With the knowledge of the above warnings, I still purchase only raw honey for my household. The pros outweigh the cons for me.

The Benefits of Raw Honey

Raw honey is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal, making it one of the most healing substances on earth. It is also highly nutritious. Honey is a natural multivitamin. It contains significant amounts of: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, C, magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, sulphur, and phosphate.

Honey has been used historically both internally and externally for a variety of concerns:

§Apply honey liberally on a wound to speed healing.

§Apply honey to a rash, burn or scrape, and cover loosely.

§A tsp taken 3 times per day can help prevent seasonal allergies.

§A tbsp of raw honey sprinkled with cinnamon taken 3 times per day can boost the immune system and fight off a cold or sore throat.

§A spoonful of honey can soothe a cough caused by a tickle or sore throat.

§A couple of tablespoons of honey stirred into hot tea can lessen the symptoms of a cold or flu.

§Honey applied topically to a wound or incision moistens the skin and helps prevent or reduce scarring.

Long Term Storage of Honey

The great news about buying honey for your stockpile is that it stores forever. Literally. Honey was discovered in the pyramids of Egypt – over 5000 years old – and still edible. Given that, I strongly suspect it will remain viable in your stockpile for as long as you care to store it. The only thing that will happen is that, in time, it will crystallize. You can resolve this issue by placing the jar of honey in a bowl of hot water until it returns to liquid form. However, you can also use it in its crystallized form – you can stir it into tea, spread it on hot toast, or take a spoonful of it as one of the remedies mentioned above.

Frequently heating and cooling honey can lessen its nutritional potency, so I recommend putting honey in a small jar for regular use and using the big jars just to restock your little one.